Rocky Anderson
Encyclopedia
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson (born September 9, 1951) served two terms as the 33rd mayor
of Salt Lake City, Utah
, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights. Prior to serving as Mayor, he practiced law for 21 years in Salt Lake City, during which time he was listed in Best Lawyers in America, was rated A-V (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell, served as Chair of the Utah State Bar Litigation Section and was Editor-in-Chief of, and a contributor to, Voir Dire legal journal.
As Mayor, Anderson rose to nationwide prominence as a champion of several national and international causes, including climate protection, immigration reform, restorative criminal justice, GLBT rights, and an end to the "war on drugs". Before and after the invasion by the U.S. of Iraq in 2003, Anderson was a leading opponent of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and related human rights abuses. Anderson was the only mayor of a major U.S. city who advocated for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, which he did in many venues throughout the United States.
Anderson's work and advocacy led to local, national, and international recognition in numerous spheres, including being named by Business Week as one of the top twenty activists in the world on climate change, serving on the Newsweek Global Environmental Leadership Advisory Board, and being recognised by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the top ten straight advocates in the United States for GLBT equality. He has also received numerous awards for his work, including the EPA Climate Protection Award, the Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award, the Respect the Earth Planet Defender Award, the National Association of Hispanic Publications Presidential Award, The Drug Policy Alliance Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award, the Progressive Democrats of America Spine Award, the League of United Latin American Citizens Profile in Courage Award, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee Patriot Award, the Code Pink
(Salt Lake City) Pink Star honor, the Morehouse University Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award, and the World Leadership Award for environmental programs.
Formerly a member of the Democratic Party, Anderson expressed his disappointment with that Party in 2011, stating “(t)he Constitution has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is a gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party."
, one of three children of Roy and Grace Anderson. His parents both worked at a local lumber yard, Anderson Lumber Company, founded by Rocky's great-grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant carpenter who had converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the Mormons).
Anderson was raised as a Mormon, and was a practicing member of that predominant religion in Logan, but he has described his disagreement with certain doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ, particularly the denial, before 1978, of the priesthood and temple ceremonies for African-Americans, whose dark skin, according to the Mormon Church, was "the mark of Cain," and the teachings of Brigham Young that "a white person who 'mixed his seed' with a 'Negro' should be killed." Anderson has described his belief, from a young age, that the L.D.S. teaching of personal moral abdication through obedience to people in positions of authority was dangerous and counter to the principle of personal moral responsibility, in which Anderson deeply believes.
Anderson studied ethics, political philosophy, and religious philosophy in college. He also explored theological issues in depth, including the unique doctrine of the Mormon Church that worthy men and women can become gods and goddesses, and determined that the best course for him was to intensely consider ethical choices, then set certain moral guideposts for his life, and focus on trying to live accordingly, without regard to the doctrines of any organized religion.
While expressing the importance of some fundamental moral lessons he learned as a young member of the Mormon Church, and while describing the value he places on his Mormon heritage, Anderson has spoken out about the L.D.S. Church's discrimination against gays and lesbians, comparing its public campaigns against equality for members of the GLBT community with its history of racial discrimination. Anderson has written about his views on this issue and appeared in the documentary film, "8: A Mormon Proposition."
During high school, Rocky played lead guitar in a rock and roll band, The Viscounts, and worked at a cabinet and roof truss plant. He also shingled roofs during his high school years. After graduating from Ogden High School, Anderson attended the University of Utah, during which time he served as Treasurer for Sigma Chi Fraternity and worked at various jobs, including as a truck driver, a roofer, and manager of a gas station.
Anderson received a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, graduating magna cum laude. After reading existentialist literature and several works on ethics, religious philosophy, and political philosophy, he had a "powerful epiphany. We can't escape responsibility, there's no sitting out moral decisions, and whenever we refuse to stand up against wrongdoing we're actually supporting the status quo."
After graduating from the University of Utah, Anderson worked at several jobs. He built buck fence at a ranch in Wyoming, tended bar in Salt Lake City, drove a cab, waited tables at a restaurant, worked at a methadone clinic, typed trucking bills, and worked at a construction job. He started graduate school in Philosophy at the University of Utah, then travelled to Europe and lived and worked for a few months in Freiburg, Germany before returning to the United States to attend law school.
In 1978 Anderson graduated, with honors, from The George Washington University Law School
, attaining a J.D. degree.
• Bradford v. Moench: A consumer rights lawsuit in which Anderson asserted a novel securities law theory and achieved, in a precedent-setting decision, broad protections for depositors in inadequately insured “thrift and loan” companies.
• Scott v. Hammock: A lawsuit in which Anderson represented a young woman who suffered from sex abuse perpetrated by her adoptive father. During the course of the case, Anderson challenged the secrecy claimed by the L.D.S Church regarding non-penitential communications by the defendant with his Mormon bishop.
• University of Utah Students Against Apartheid v. Peterson: A case in which plaintiffs successfully asserted their First Amendment rights to symbolic speech after the university administration ordered them to remove shanties used to protest the university's investments in South Africa. (Anderson filed an amicus brief for the A.C.L.U. in the case.)
• Armstrong v. McCotter: A civil rights case involving a young mentally ill man, Michael Valent, who, while incarcerated in prison, died from a pulmonary embolism after being strapped naked in a restraint chair for 16 hours solely because of conduct linked to his schizophrenia.
• Bott v. Deland: A civil rights case that established, for the first time, protections for the rights of incarcerated people under the Utah Constitution far broader than under the US Constitution. In that case, the Utah Supreme Court also agreed that financial damages, not limited by state statute, are available for violations of the protections provided for incarcerated people under the State Constitution.
• Regan v. Salt Lake County: A class action challenging invasive searches, including strip searches, of women held on minor violations at the Salt Lake County Jail.
• Prettyman v. Salt Lake City: A civil rights case involving the excessive use of force by police, resulting in the breaking of a rod in the plaintiff’s back.
• Hale v. Loader: A lawsuit that involving sexual abuse of a female prison inmate by prison personnel.
• Harding v. Walles: A civil rights case involving the sexual abuse of a male prison inmate by a prison guard.
Anderson also helped spearhead reform of Utah’s child custody laws. He worked to institute a program to help those who do not qualify for assistance through Legal Aid or Legal Services, but who are unable to afford to pay a full fee for legal representation. Anderson served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar Association (when the Litigation Section was recognized by the Utah Bar Association as the Section of the Year), and as President of Anderson and Karrenberg, a Salt Lake City law firm.
When he was practicing law, Anderson was affiliated with several non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting civil rights, providing educational opportunities for economically-disadvantaged children, improving the penal and criminal justice systems, and strengthening legislative ethics. He served as president of the boards of the ACLU of Utah, Guadalupe Schools, and Citizens for Penal Reform, which he founded. He also served as a board member of several other community-based, non-profit organizations, including Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and Utah Common Cause. On behalf of Common Cause, Anderson lobbied for stronger legislation pertaining to ethical conduct by elected officials and for campaign finance reform. Anderson was quoted in the local daily newspaper as follows:
While he was practicing law, Anderson opposed the Reagan administration's efforts to overthrow the government in Nicaragua and its support of the death squads in El Salvador. He organized two trips to Nicaragua for dozens of Utahns to see for themselves what was happening there, contrary to what the Reagan administration and much of the mainstream media were reporting. He also debated the Commander in Chief of the Contras, Adolfo Calero. Anderson was quoted about his views concerning U.S. policy and actions in Nicaragua as follows:
Moved by the tragedy experienced by friends and family members of several women who were murdered in the Salt Lake City area, and by the failure of Salt Lake City police detectives to solve the crimes, Anderson worked without charge for many months reviewing documents and locating and interviewing witnesses. His work, along with the efforts of other people, led to the eventual grand jury indictment and conviction of a man for one of the murders.
Anderson's two terms in office were extremely eventful, with Anderson playing a leading role in hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games; pushing the police to pursue Brian David Mitchell, instead of the wrong person suspected by police detectives, in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart; organizing and co-hosting dozens of mayors for three consecutive years at the Sundance Summit, founding the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival, providing national and international leadership regarding climate protection, carrying on a successful national campaign to require that airports across the country screen all checked luggage, expanding the area's light rail system, significantly expanding protected open space, implementing an innovative and highly successful restorative justice program and creating a city-wide after-school and summer youth program. Many of Anderson's achievements were described in his State of the City addresses and listed in a document provided to the public shortly before he left office.
Anderson chose not to run for a third term so he could push for reforms of U.S. human rights policies and practices through grassroots organizing.
As part of the Salt Lake City Green program, Anderson committed Salt Lake City to the Kyoto Protocol goals in 2002 (despite the U.S. not doing the same). He mandated that all city buildings use energy-efficient light bulbs and replacing SUVs in the city fleet with high efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles. Anderson almost doubled the city's recycling capacity in one year. The City surpassed its Kyoto goals in 2006, seven years ahead of schedule. In 2003, Anderson received the Climate Protection Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Sierra Club acknowledged his environmental work with its Distinguished Service Award. In November 2005, the Salt Lake City Green program led to the receipt by Salt Lake City of the World Leadership Award for environmental programs, presented by the World Leadership Forum in London.
Anderson exemplified "green living" by his personal example, including xeriscaping of his entire yard; his installation of solar panels at his home; recycling all recyclable materials; and his use of cold water detergent, fluorescent bulbs, thermostat timers, and a natural gas car.
While serving as mayor, Anderson informed and inspired other municipal officials about the importance of educating constituents about climate change and of taking measures to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For three consecutive years, he organized and co-hosted with Robert Redford and ICLEI the "Sundance Summit: A Mayors Gathering on Climate Protection," attended by dozens of mayors from throughout the United States. At the Sundance Summit, mayors learned the science of climate change, how to communicate regarding the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change, and best practices in cities implementing ground-breaking climate protection practices.
Anderson also spoke on the subject of the climate crisis at side meetings at United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings in New Delhi, Buenos Aires, and Bali, and at conferences throughout the United States and in Sweden and Australia.
During Anderson's tenure as mayor, he created the "e2 Business" program, recruiting local businesses to implement major sustainability practices and led a national campaign against the environmentally and economically destructive use of plastic water bottles -- what he has called "the greatest marketing scam of all time."
use and has supported legislative measures limiting smoking and taxing tobacco
products.
.
Anderson received the League of United Latin American Citizens’s first-ever “Profile in Courage” award, as well as the National Association of Hispanic Publications’ Presidential Award, in 2006.
Anderson signed an executive order in 2000 implementing a full-fledged affirmative action
program in City hiring. This program led to historic levels of ethnic minority hiring and retention in City government. The percentage of the City government's workforce from the ethnic minority community increased more than 30% in seven years and the number of City administrators, in higher paying positions, from the ethnic minority community increased more than 85% since 2000. Thirty-two percent of Anderson's appointments to City boards and commissions, and one-third of the staff in the Mayor's Office, were people of color.
Anderson also signed executive orders that extended benefits to domestic partners of City employees, and banned discrimination against City employees on the basis of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.
Along with Jon Huntsman, Sr., Anderson co-convened the Alliance for Unity, a non-partisan group of religious and community leaders working to build bridges between diverse people throughout Utah.
and leading Salt Lake City through the 2002 Winter Olympics
, Anderson handed off the Olympic flag at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. One of Anderson’s key achievements was working effectively with the Utah State Legislature and Mitt Romney in making certain that public safety needs would be adequately financed. Romney later said, "I think a lot of people would look at (the Olympic funding deal) and say it was a minor miracle. [Rocky] was instrumental, key, in reaching a solution."
Anderson endorsed Romney's subsequent 2002 gubernatorial bid in Massachusetts
. Romney later endorsed Anderson’s 2003 mayoral re-election campaign. Anderson has criticized Romney's changes in positions on certain issues since he decided to run for president of the U.S. “The Mitt Romney who ran for and served as governor of Massachusetts was a very different Mitt Romney than has been running for President of the United States… the real Mitt Romney — the Mitt Romney we all knew and [who] served as governor of Massachusetts — was very reasonable, very moderate — he felt that Roe versus Wade should be the end of the debate on choice; supporter of stem cell research — he was not the right-winger that he seemed to be when he decided he would run for President of the United States.”
Anderson restructured Salt Lake City’s criminal justice system and, after reviewing the peer-reviewed literature indicating that DARE is ineffective in reducing drug use, discontinued the DARE program in Salt Lake City schools. He supported implementation, instead, of programs -- ATLAS and ATHENA -- that have demonstrated success. He called for an end to the failed "war on drugs" and for better drug prevention education, implementation of harm reduction policies, and the availability of substance abuse treatment on demand. He also successfully lobbied President Clinton to grant a commutation of a lengthy prison sentence imposed on a Salt Lake City man who had already served several years in a federal penitentiary for his first and only conviction for violation of drug laws.
Instead of pushing for more minor offenders to be sent to jail or prison, Anderson built innovative restorative justice programs, which earned him a nomination for a second World Leadership Award. He implemented reforms ensuring that mental health courts channelled mentally ill criminals into mandatory treatment programs rather than putting them behind bars. People arrested on drug charges, or for prostitution or soliciting prostitutes (as well as several other types of offenses), were sent through a comprehensive course of counselling rather than automatically being handed criminal convictions and sentences for incarceration. The results were better and the costs were far less than those entailed in pursuing the traditional retributive approach.
Anderson promulgated an administrative rule providing that, in considering bids, the city would give preference to companies paying a living wage to their employees. One Republican legislator called it the "Rocky loophole" and was intent on closing it. The Utah Legislature then passed a statute prohibiting cities from giving such preference.
Establishing a reputation as a fiscal conservative, during the period 1999 to 2007, Anderson increased Salt Lake City's general fund reserve balance by more than 62%, from $20.3 million to $32.6 million.
He spoke often against the Iraq invasion and occupation, and for impeachment, including at several large rallies and state and federal legislative hearings, in Salt Lake City; Olympia, Washington; New York; and Washington, D.C.; and on national television and radio programs hosted by Amy Goodman, Bill O'Reilly, Keith Olbermann, and Tom Ashbrook. He also engaged in a notorious live debate with Sean Hannity about Iraq and impeachment.
Interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN after an anti-war rally marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion and initial occupation of Iraq, Anderson advocated the impeachment of President George Bush, saying:
Anderson also did not spare criticism for the Democratic Party, saying:
In 2006, he expressed his view of the Democratic Party as follows:
Anderson researched, wrote, produced, and narrated a major multi-media piece on the Iraq invasion and occupation, as well as the case for impeachment.
In January 2008 he founded High Road for Human Rights, a non-profit organization formed to achieve major reforms of US human rights policies and practices through unique, coordinated, and sustained grassroots activism, complementing the work of other human rights organizations. The principle underlying the organization is that politicians don’t do anything unless pushed. High Road is a bottom-up, grassroots based organization founded “to make it clear there will be short-term political costs for those who continue to ignore these kinds of problems… Every time a congressperson or senator comes home and they hold a meeting, there [should be] a group there pushing on the same issues”, according to Anderson. High Road has a growing membership base and active local teams of people who meet and work together to bring about change.
The organization has a broad-based membership, with an Advisory Committee composed of prominent human rights, environmental, and political activists, as well as artists, actors, and writers, including Ed Asner, Harry Belafonte, Lester Brown, Hillary Brown, Ben Cohen, Daniel Ellsberg, Ross Gelbspan, Susan Joy Hassol, Mark Hersgaard, Mimi Kennedy, Paul Rogat Loeb, Edward Mazria, Bill McKibben, Yoko Ono, Gus Speth, Winnie Singh, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Elie Wiesel, and Terry Tempest Williams. High Road for Human Rights primarily addresses five issues: torture and the undermining of the rule of law, genocide, slavery, the death penalty, and the human rights implications of the climate crisis.
Anderson testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during a hearing on September, 25, 2008 concerning executive branch abuses of power and spoke at rallies organized by High Road for Human Rights, calling for accountability for torture. He has also researched, written, produced, and narrated two multi-media pieces on torture and the undermining of the rule of law.
For his work on human rights matters during his tenure as Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights, Anderson received the Morehouse University Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's Patriot Award.
Anderson has emphasized the discrepancy between Obama’s position as a candidate for the 2008 presidency, and the actions he has actually undertaken as President, stating that “President Obama has betrayed us in almost every single way from being a candidate to being the President of the United States.” Anderson has pointed to Obama’s failure to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, refusing to prosecute what Anderson deems to be the “war criminals” of the Bush administration, continuing renditions, violating the War Power Clause of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution by committing military troops to Libya without congressional authorization, and continuing, and even expanding, the occupation in Afghanistan. Anderson has stated that Obama is “the least deserving recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize.” Concerning Obama's betrayal of the rule of law, Anderson has commented as follows:
Anderson has pointedly criticized Obama for violating the Convention Against Torture, to which the US is a signatory, since every signatory to the convention is required to prosecute or extradite for prosecution those responsible for torture, something Obama refuses to do. Anderson has pointed out that, when the U.S. Senate ratified the Convention Against Torture, President Ronald Reagan stressed that the Convention requires prosecution or extradition of anyone responsible for torture.
Anderson has stated that despite his earlier belief that the Bush Administration would be merely an “aberration” in the history of the US, “President Obama has institutionalized some of the worst abuses of the Bush Administration.”
of West Jordan publicly denounced former Mayor Rocky Anderson for having "attracted the entire gay community to come and live in Salt Lake County" after a Dan Jones poll indicated strong support for allowing domestic partnerships. In the 2004 election, 63% of the city population voted against banning same-sex marriage
, in agreement with Mayor Anderson.
In 2000, Anderson asked the Salt Lake City Police Department to end its participation in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(DARE) program. He told DARE officials: "I think your organization has been an absolute fraud on the people of this country... For you to continue taking precious drug-prevention dollars when we have such a serious and, in some instances, growing addiction problem is unconscionable."
Critics charged Anderson with being insufficiently opposed to teen drug use and with failing to propose any alternatives. In fact, Anderson introduced the ATLAS Program to the Salt Lake City School Board, which voted to implement the program. Anderson also created the Mayor’s Coalition on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, and has advocated for the implementation of proven drug prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction programs. In 2005, the Drug Policy Alliance
presented him with its Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award.
In August 2005, Anderson violated Salt Lake City policy when he used $633.74 in public funds to purchase meals and alcoholic beverage
s on two occasions for musicians who performed at the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival and for visiting mayors from throughout the country. A local newspaper published four consecutive front-page articles to the story, and portrayed the purchases as "bar tabs."
When interviewed in September 2005 by the Deseret Morning News, Anderson stated that he disagreed with the policy, that providing hospitality to out-of-town visitors is an important mayoral function, and that exceptions to the policy had been made previously. The policy was subsequently changed to allow appropriate purchases of food and alcohol when entertaining out-of-town guests. Mayor Anderson reimbursed the City with his private funds for expenditures incurred while entertaining visiting mayors.
The Deseret Morning News soon created more controversy with its coverage of an interview Anderson gave to The Guardian
newspaper in London
. Leading with the headline, “LDS Church Not Taliban, Rocky says,” the paper implied that Anderson had compared life in Utah
to life under the Taliban. Anderson emphasized that the comment, intended to be light-hearted, was not directed toward the state or its residents, nor toward The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rather, he said, the comment was directed toward local media, particularly the Deseret Morning News, who had originally characterized his alcohol
and food purchases at a local restaurant as "bar tabs," and which had run articles about the fact that a Salt Lake City Reads Together book selection contained profanity. Jeremiads soon appeared on the editorial
pages of the Deseret Morning News and other Utah
newspapers. Anderson singled out the Deseret Morning News and other media outlets for deceptive, biased reporting in a statement about the publication and in a speech on media ethics to an annual banquet of the Daily Utah Chronicle.
In October 2005, local politicians accused Anderson of improper spending of public money. This time the issue was travel to Italy
related to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Anderson responded that the trip to Turin was to continue the longstanding Olympic tradition of delivering the Olympic message and did not cost Utah taxpayers any money. The Salt Lake City District Attorney cleared Anderson of any wrongdoing in the case.
On June 12, 2007, following a meeting in a City Council workroom, Anderson was involved in a physical and verbal confrontation with downtown real-estate developer Dell Loy Hansen. After challenging Anderson to speak to him, Hansen reportedly knocked Anderson off-balance. Anderson responded by threatening to "kick [Hansen's] ass." On June 18, a spokesman for Anderson indicated that the possibility of legal action against Hansen was being explored. It has since been determined that no charges will be filed.
On August 11, 2011, major news media in Utah reported that Anderson had denounced the Democratic Party and resigned his membership with it. Anderson wrote in his letter to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
that "Until the Democratic Party shows some spine and draws a line in the sand -- that an end to the tax breaks for the wealthy needs to be part of any debt/budget bill -- please take my name off your list." He added that "I'm done with the Democratic Party. As I said on Amy Goodman's
show a couple years ago, I've put my 'Proud Democrat' coffee mug in storage. I think now I'll just throw it in the garbage and have done with it" and that "The Constitution
has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is a gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party."
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights. Prior to serving as Mayor, he practiced law for 21 years in Salt Lake City, during which time he was listed in Best Lawyers in America, was rated A-V (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell, served as Chair of the Utah State Bar Litigation Section and was Editor-in-Chief of, and a contributor to, Voir Dire legal journal.
As Mayor, Anderson rose to nationwide prominence as a champion of several national and international causes, including climate protection, immigration reform, restorative criminal justice, GLBT rights, and an end to the "war on drugs". Before and after the invasion by the U.S. of Iraq in 2003, Anderson was a leading opponent of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and related human rights abuses. Anderson was the only mayor of a major U.S. city who advocated for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, which he did in many venues throughout the United States.
Anderson's work and advocacy led to local, national, and international recognition in numerous spheres, including being named by Business Week as one of the top twenty activists in the world on climate change, serving on the Newsweek Global Environmental Leadership Advisory Board, and being recognised by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the top ten straight advocates in the United States for GLBT equality. He has also received numerous awards for his work, including the EPA Climate Protection Award, the Sierra Club Distinguished Service Award, the Respect the Earth Planet Defender Award, the National Association of Hispanic Publications Presidential Award, The Drug Policy Alliance Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award, the Progressive Democrats of America Spine Award, the League of United Latin American Citizens Profile in Courage Award, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee Patriot Award, the Code Pink
Code Pink
Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
(Salt Lake City) Pink Star honor, the Morehouse University Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award, and the World Leadership Award for environmental programs.
Formerly a member of the Democratic Party, Anderson expressed his disappointment with that Party in 2011, stating “(t)he Constitution has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is a gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party."
Life before law and politics
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson was born in Logan, UtahLogan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
, one of three children of Roy and Grace Anderson. His parents both worked at a local lumber yard, Anderson Lumber Company, founded by Rocky's great-grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant carpenter who had converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the Mormons).
Anderson was raised as a Mormon, and was a practicing member of that predominant religion in Logan, but he has described his disagreement with certain doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ, particularly the denial, before 1978, of the priesthood and temple ceremonies for African-Americans, whose dark skin, according to the Mormon Church, was "the mark of Cain," and the teachings of Brigham Young that "a white person who 'mixed his seed' with a 'Negro' should be killed." Anderson has described his belief, from a young age, that the L.D.S. teaching of personal moral abdication through obedience to people in positions of authority was dangerous and counter to the principle of personal moral responsibility, in which Anderson deeply believes.
Anderson studied ethics, political philosophy, and religious philosophy in college. He also explored theological issues in depth, including the unique doctrine of the Mormon Church that worthy men and women can become gods and goddesses, and determined that the best course for him was to intensely consider ethical choices, then set certain moral guideposts for his life, and focus on trying to live accordingly, without regard to the doctrines of any organized religion.
While expressing the importance of some fundamental moral lessons he learned as a young member of the Mormon Church, and while describing the value he places on his Mormon heritage, Anderson has spoken out about the L.D.S. Church's discrimination against gays and lesbians, comparing its public campaigns against equality for members of the GLBT community with its history of racial discrimination. Anderson has written about his views on this issue and appeared in the documentary film, "8: A Mormon Proposition."
During high school, Rocky played lead guitar in a rock and roll band, The Viscounts, and worked at a cabinet and roof truss plant. He also shingled roofs during his high school years. After graduating from Ogden High School, Anderson attended the University of Utah, during which time he served as Treasurer for Sigma Chi Fraternity and worked at various jobs, including as a truck driver, a roofer, and manager of a gas station.
Anderson received a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, graduating magna cum laude. After reading existentialist literature and several works on ethics, religious philosophy, and political philosophy, he had a "powerful epiphany. We can't escape responsibility, there's no sitting out moral decisions, and whenever we refuse to stand up against wrongdoing we're actually supporting the status quo."
After graduating from the University of Utah, Anderson worked at several jobs. He built buck fence at a ranch in Wyoming, tended bar in Salt Lake City, drove a cab, waited tables at a restaurant, worked at a methadone clinic, typed trucking bills, and worked at a construction job. He started graduate school in Philosophy at the University of Utah, then travelled to Europe and lived and worked for a few months in Freiburg, Germany before returning to the United States to attend law school.
In 1978 Anderson graduated, with honors, from The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
, attaining a J.D. degree.
Legal career and activism while practicing law
Upon graduation, Anderson returned to Salt Lake City to practice law. He tried several jury trials in federal and state courts and handled appeals before the Utah Court of Appeals, the Utah Supreme Court, the United States District Court (in an appeal from Bankruptcy Court) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Anderson had an extremely diverse legal practice and represented plaintiffs in dozens of major cases. Anderson practiced law for twenty-one years in Salt Lake City, beginning as an associate with Berman & Giauque and serving as a shareholder in Berman & Anderson; Hansen & Anderson; Anderson & Watkins; and Anderson & Karrenberg. He specialized in civil litigation in several areas, including antitrust, securities fraud, commercial, products liability, professional malpractice, and civil rights law. In many instances, he represented individuals who had suffered harm at the hands of corporations or government agents, including plaintiffs in the following cases:• Bradford v. Moench: A consumer rights lawsuit in which Anderson asserted a novel securities law theory and achieved, in a precedent-setting decision, broad protections for depositors in inadequately insured “thrift and loan” companies.
• Scott v. Hammock: A lawsuit in which Anderson represented a young woman who suffered from sex abuse perpetrated by her adoptive father. During the course of the case, Anderson challenged the secrecy claimed by the L.D.S Church regarding non-penitential communications by the defendant with his Mormon bishop.
• University of Utah Students Against Apartheid v. Peterson: A case in which plaintiffs successfully asserted their First Amendment rights to symbolic speech after the university administration ordered them to remove shanties used to protest the university's investments in South Africa. (Anderson filed an amicus brief for the A.C.L.U. in the case.)
• Armstrong v. McCotter: A civil rights case involving a young mentally ill man, Michael Valent, who, while incarcerated in prison, died from a pulmonary embolism after being strapped naked in a restraint chair for 16 hours solely because of conduct linked to his schizophrenia.
• Bott v. Deland: A civil rights case that established, for the first time, protections for the rights of incarcerated people under the Utah Constitution far broader than under the US Constitution. In that case, the Utah Supreme Court also agreed that financial damages, not limited by state statute, are available for violations of the protections provided for incarcerated people under the State Constitution.
• Regan v. Salt Lake County: A class action challenging invasive searches, including strip searches, of women held on minor violations at the Salt Lake County Jail.
• Prettyman v. Salt Lake City: A civil rights case involving the excessive use of force by police, resulting in the breaking of a rod in the plaintiff’s back.
• Hale v. Loader: A lawsuit that involving sexual abuse of a female prison inmate by prison personnel.
• Harding v. Walles: A civil rights case involving the sexual abuse of a male prison inmate by a prison guard.
Anderson also helped spearhead reform of Utah’s child custody laws. He worked to institute a program to help those who do not qualify for assistance through Legal Aid or Legal Services, but who are unable to afford to pay a full fee for legal representation. Anderson served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar Association (when the Litigation Section was recognized by the Utah Bar Association as the Section of the Year), and as President of Anderson and Karrenberg, a Salt Lake City law firm.
When he was practicing law, Anderson was affiliated with several non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting civil rights, providing educational opportunities for economically-disadvantaged children, improving the penal and criminal justice systems, and strengthening legislative ethics. He served as president of the boards of the ACLU of Utah, Guadalupe Schools, and Citizens for Penal Reform, which he founded. He also served as a board member of several other community-based, non-profit organizations, including Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and Utah Common Cause. On behalf of Common Cause, Anderson lobbied for stronger legislation pertaining to ethical conduct by elected officials and for campaign finance reform. Anderson was quoted in the local daily newspaper as follows:
- "Do you think that lobbyists do this stuff [giving lawmakers everything from courtside Utah Jazz tickets and breakfasts at the exclusive Alta Club to graphite golf clubs] out of the kindness of their hearts?' he asks. 'They do it so they can influence the legislator, and that's a bribe."
While he was practicing law, Anderson opposed the Reagan administration's efforts to overthrow the government in Nicaragua and its support of the death squads in El Salvador. He organized two trips to Nicaragua for dozens of Utahns to see for themselves what was happening there, contrary to what the Reagan administration and much of the mainstream media were reporting. He also debated the Commander in Chief of the Contras, Adolfo Calero. Anderson was quoted about his views concerning U.S. policy and actions in Nicaragua as follows:
- "After 70 years of U.S. control of Nicaragua, what did the Nicaraguan people get? Only poverty. I don't think the American public should sit back and let their tax dollars support the Contras (who are) killing the Nicaraguan people.' The U.S. government is among the greatest international outlaws in recent history, Anderson said, and is involved in 'pure and simple terrorism' against Nicaragua. 'The U.S. government violated every applicable standard of international law, every applicable international treaty,' he said."
Moved by the tragedy experienced by friends and family members of several women who were murdered in the Salt Lake City area, and by the failure of Salt Lake City police detectives to solve the crimes, Anderson worked without charge for many months reviewing documents and locating and interviewing witnesses. His work, along with the efforts of other people, led to the eventual grand jury indictment and conviction of a man for one of the murders.
Congressional campaign
After winning a contentious primary election against Kelly Atkinson by 11%, Anderson ran for Congress as the Democratic nominee in Utah's Second Congressional District in 1996 against Republican Merrill Cook. Without any financial help from the Democratic Party (some local Democratic "leaders" viewed Anderson as being "too liberal" because of his support of the ACLU, his opposition to U.S. policy toward Nicaragua in the 1980's, and his opposition to the death penalty), he garnered over 100,000 votes in the district. Despite Cook's 98% initial name recognition and the expenditure of almost $1 million by Cook of his own money, Anderson received 55% of the votes cast in Salt Lake City, versus 39% for Cook. As Anderson has described, the issue of same-sex marriage formed the heart of Cook's campaign against Anderson.Mayor of Salt Lake City
Anderson ran for Mayor of Salt Lake City in 1999, defeating 10 other candidates in the primary campaign, before winning 60% of the vote in the general election against opponent Stuart Reid. He won re-election by a 7% margin against Frank Pignanelli in 2003.Anderson's two terms in office were extremely eventful, with Anderson playing a leading role in hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games; pushing the police to pursue Brian David Mitchell, instead of the wrong person suspected by police detectives, in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart; organizing and co-hosting dozens of mayors for three consecutive years at the Sundance Summit, founding the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival, providing national and international leadership regarding climate protection, carrying on a successful national campaign to require that airports across the country screen all checked luggage, expanding the area's light rail system, significantly expanding protected open space, implementing an innovative and highly successful restorative justice program and creating a city-wide after-school and summer youth program. Many of Anderson's achievements were described in his State of the City addresses and listed in a document provided to the public shortly before he left office.
Anderson chose not to run for a third term so he could push for reforms of U.S. human rights policies and practices through grassroots organizing.
Environmental/climate protection programs
Considered perhaps the "greenest" mayor in the United States, Anderson gained international renown for his Salt Lake City Green Program - a comprehensive effort to improve sustainability and reduce the City's environmental footprint – achieving a 31% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations in 3 years. Elements of the program, which Anderson described as covering "everything from dog waste to nuclear waste,” included initiatives to improve the efficiency of the City’s fleet and use of electricity, measures to make Salt Lake City more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, and cogeneration plants at the City’s landfill and wastewater treatment facilities that recapture methane to generate electricity.As part of the Salt Lake City Green program, Anderson committed Salt Lake City to the Kyoto Protocol goals in 2002 (despite the U.S. not doing the same). He mandated that all city buildings use energy-efficient light bulbs and replacing SUVs in the city fleet with high efficiency, alternative fuel vehicles. Anderson almost doubled the city's recycling capacity in one year. The City surpassed its Kyoto goals in 2006, seven years ahead of schedule. In 2003, Anderson received the Climate Protection Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Sierra Club acknowledged his environmental work with its Distinguished Service Award. In November 2005, the Salt Lake City Green program led to the receipt by Salt Lake City of the World Leadership Award for environmental programs, presented by the World Leadership Forum in London.
Anderson exemplified "green living" by his personal example, including xeriscaping of his entire yard; his installation of solar panels at his home; recycling all recyclable materials; and his use of cold water detergent, fluorescent bulbs, thermostat timers, and a natural gas car.
While serving as mayor, Anderson informed and inspired other municipal officials about the importance of educating constituents about climate change and of taking measures to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For three consecutive years, he organized and co-hosted with Robert Redford and ICLEI the "Sundance Summit: A Mayors Gathering on Climate Protection," attended by dozens of mayors from throughout the United States. At the Sundance Summit, mayors learned the science of climate change, how to communicate regarding the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change, and best practices in cities implementing ground-breaking climate protection practices.
Anderson also spoke on the subject of the climate crisis at side meetings at United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings in New Delhi, Buenos Aires, and Bali, and at conferences throughout the United States and in Sweden and Australia.
During Anderson's tenure as mayor, he created the "e2 Business" program, recruiting local businesses to implement major sustainability practices and led a national campaign against the environmentally and economically destructive use of plastic water bottles -- what he has called "the greatest marketing scam of all time."
Tobacco
Anderson is an ardent opponent of tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
use and has supported legislative measures limiting smoking and taxing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
products.
Minority/GLBT communities
Anderson, whose 2002 Olympic theme was "Strength Through Diversity," advocated repeatedly for the interests of minority communities in Salt Lake City. In December 2001, state and federal officials organized a raid at the Salt Lake City Airport that selectively enforced immigration laws against undocumented employees, who were arrested, imprisoned, and lost their jobs. In response, Anderson created the Family to Family program, which made it possible for Salt Lake City families to provide direct emotional and financial assistance to the airport workers and their families, while gaining a better understanding of the plight of immigrants. Additionally, the Mayor spearheaded a challenge to English-only legislation in Utah in 2000, and later spoke at large demonstrations for comprehensive immigration reformImmigration reform
Immigration reform is a term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, "reform " means to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses....
.
Anderson received the League of United Latin American Citizens’s first-ever “Profile in Courage” award, as well as the National Association of Hispanic Publications’ Presidential Award, in 2006.
Anderson signed an executive order in 2000 implementing a full-fledged affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
program in City hiring. This program led to historic levels of ethnic minority hiring and retention in City government. The percentage of the City government's workforce from the ethnic minority community increased more than 30% in seven years and the number of City administrators, in higher paying positions, from the ethnic minority community increased more than 85% since 2000. Thirty-two percent of Anderson's appointments to City boards and commissions, and one-third of the staff in the Mayor's Office, were people of color.
Anderson also signed executive orders that extended benefits to domestic partners of City employees, and banned discrimination against City employees on the basis of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.
Along with Jon Huntsman, Sr., Anderson co-convened the Alliance for Unity, a non-partisan group of religious and community leaders working to build bridges between diverse people throughout Utah.
2002 Winter Olympics
After working with Mitt RomneyMitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
and leading Salt Lake City through the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, Anderson handed off the Olympic flag at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. One of Anderson’s key achievements was working effectively with the Utah State Legislature and Mitt Romney in making certain that public safety needs would be adequately financed. Romney later said, "I think a lot of people would look at (the Olympic funding deal) and say it was a minor miracle. [Rocky] was instrumental, key, in reaching a solution."
Anderson endorsed Romney's subsequent 2002 gubernatorial bid in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Romney later endorsed Anderson’s 2003 mayoral re-election campaign. Anderson has criticized Romney's changes in positions on certain issues since he decided to run for president of the U.S. “The Mitt Romney who ran for and served as governor of Massachusetts was a very different Mitt Romney than has been running for President of the United States… the real Mitt Romney — the Mitt Romney we all knew and [who] served as governor of Massachusetts — was very reasonable, very moderate — he felt that Roe versus Wade should be the end of the debate on choice; supporter of stem cell research — he was not the right-winger that he seemed to be when he decided he would run for President of the United States.”
Crime and restorative criminal justice
Anderson was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition was co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.Anderson restructured Salt Lake City’s criminal justice system and, after reviewing the peer-reviewed literature indicating that DARE is ineffective in reducing drug use, discontinued the DARE program in Salt Lake City schools. He supported implementation, instead, of programs -- ATLAS and ATHENA -- that have demonstrated success. He called for an end to the failed "war on drugs" and for better drug prevention education, implementation of harm reduction policies, and the availability of substance abuse treatment on demand. He also successfully lobbied President Clinton to grant a commutation of a lengthy prison sentence imposed on a Salt Lake City man who had already served several years in a federal penitentiary for his first and only conviction for violation of drug laws.
Instead of pushing for more minor offenders to be sent to jail or prison, Anderson built innovative restorative justice programs, which earned him a nomination for a second World Leadership Award. He implemented reforms ensuring that mental health courts channelled mentally ill criminals into mandatory treatment programs rather than putting them behind bars. People arrested on drug charges, or for prostitution or soliciting prostitutes (as well as several other types of offenses), were sent through a comprehensive course of counselling rather than automatically being handed criminal convictions and sentences for incarceration. The results were better and the costs were far less than those entailed in pursuing the traditional retributive approach.
Economy
As mayor, Anderson was a strong advocate for local businesses, saying, “Loyal, locally-owned businesses deserve our support. When we 'buy locally,' our economy is strengthened and our quality of life is enhanced. Consumer dollars are regenerated within our community and we help preserve the charm and uniqueness local businesses provide.”Anderson promulgated an administrative rule providing that, in considering bids, the city would give preference to companies paying a living wage to their employees. One Republican legislator called it the "Rocky loophole" and was intent on closing it. The Utah Legislature then passed a statute prohibiting cities from giving such preference.
Establishing a reputation as a fiscal conservative, during the period 1999 to 2007, Anderson increased Salt Lake City's general fund reserve balance by more than 62%, from $20.3 million to $32.6 million.
Opposition to War in Iraq and related human rights abuses, and call for impeachment
Called by Amy Goodman "one of the most outspoken critics of the Bush administration and the Iraq war," Anderson was a leading opponent of the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the U.S., both before and after the invasion, and was the only major city mayor advocating the impeachment of President Bush and Vice-President Cheney.He spoke often against the Iraq invasion and occupation, and for impeachment, including at several large rallies and state and federal legislative hearings, in Salt Lake City; Olympia, Washington; New York; and Washington, D.C.; and on national television and radio programs hosted by Amy Goodman, Bill O'Reilly, Keith Olbermann, and Tom Ashbrook. He also engaged in a notorious live debate with Sean Hannity about Iraq and impeachment.
Interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN after an anti-war rally marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion and initial occupation of Iraq, Anderson advocated the impeachment of President George Bush, saying:
- "This president, by engaging in such incredible abuses of power, breaches of trust with both the Congress and the American people, and misleading us into this tragic and unbelievable war, the violation of treaties, other international law, our constitution, our own domestic laws, and then his role in heinous human rights abuses; I think all of that together calls for impeachment".
Anderson also did not spare criticism for the Democratic Party, saying:
- "The fact that anybody would say that impeachment is off the table when we have a president who has been so egregious in his violations of our constitution, a president who asserts a unitary executive power, that is absolutely chilling."
In 2006, he expressed his view of the Democratic Party as follows:
- "But what do I have to say about the Democratic Party? I’m ashamed, really, of how little leadership there has been. There has been just tremendous timidity on the part of the party, generally, although there have been a handful of exceptions. But, you know, we had one member of the United States Senate vote against the PATRIOT Act, the blank check that was given by Congress to this president, I think in total abrogation of the role of Congress under separation of powers and under the power to make war, to declare war. They gave that away to a president that didn’t have his facts straight and, I think, was manipulating the intelligence to sell this war."
Anderson researched, wrote, produced, and narrated a major multi-media piece on the Iraq invasion and occupation, as well as the case for impeachment.
Human rights advocacy
Understanding that grassroots organizing and mobilizing is a source of tremendous power for positive social and economic change, Anderson decided after serving almost eight years as mayor of Salt Lake City that he would not run for re-election and, instead, devote himself to educating, motivating, and mobilizing people to push elected officials and others to take action to prevent or stop major human rights abuses. Anderson has stressed the importance of people at the grassroots level advocating for progressive change, stating, “We keep expecting elected officials will do the right thing, and the fact is they never do unless they’re pushed.”In January 2008 he founded High Road for Human Rights, a non-profit organization formed to achieve major reforms of US human rights policies and practices through unique, coordinated, and sustained grassroots activism, complementing the work of other human rights organizations. The principle underlying the organization is that politicians don’t do anything unless pushed. High Road is a bottom-up, grassroots based organization founded “to make it clear there will be short-term political costs for those who continue to ignore these kinds of problems… Every time a congressperson or senator comes home and they hold a meeting, there [should be] a group there pushing on the same issues”, according to Anderson. High Road has a growing membership base and active local teams of people who meet and work together to bring about change.
The organization has a broad-based membership, with an Advisory Committee composed of prominent human rights, environmental, and political activists, as well as artists, actors, and writers, including Ed Asner, Harry Belafonte, Lester Brown, Hillary Brown, Ben Cohen, Daniel Ellsberg, Ross Gelbspan, Susan Joy Hassol, Mark Hersgaard, Mimi Kennedy, Paul Rogat Loeb, Edward Mazria, Bill McKibben, Yoko Ono, Gus Speth, Winnie Singh, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Elie Wiesel, and Terry Tempest Williams. High Road for Human Rights primarily addresses five issues: torture and the undermining of the rule of law, genocide, slavery, the death penalty, and the human rights implications of the climate crisis.
Anderson testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee during a hearing on September, 25, 2008 concerning executive branch abuses of power and spoke at rallies organized by High Road for Human Rights, calling for accountability for torture. He has also researched, written, produced, and narrated two multi-media pieces on torture and the undermining of the rule of law.
For his work on human rights matters during his tenure as Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights, Anderson received the Morehouse University Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's Patriot Award.
Criticisms of President Obama and the Democratic Party
After President Obama’s election, Anderson was instantly critical of many of his policy positions and staff selections, such as Susan Rice, who Obama appointed as United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Anderson faults Ms. Rice for “doing nothing” to stop the 1994 genocide in Rwanda as a staff member of the National Security Council. (Rice is notorious for having been more concerned with the political repercussions in the upcoming congressional election than with ending the genocide in Rwanda, when she said to NSC colleagues, "If we use the word 'genocide' and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect on the November election?") Anderson was also critical of the appointment by Obama of John Brennan as his counterterrorism adviser because Brennan, as a member of the George W. Bush administration, publicly supported wiretapping, “enhanced interrogation,” and the “rendition” of war-on-terror suspects to offshore prisons beyond the reach of American law. Anderson also pointed to Obama’s complete change of position after he received the Democratic nomination for president on the question of immunity for telecom companies that illegally cooperated with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Deeming himself to be “non-partisan” in his critiques of policy, Anderson has subsequently gone on to fiercely criticize the Obama administration in numerous areas, alleging that in certain spheres it has a worse record than the Bush administration. For instance, he has stated as follows:- “I don't know what people were expecting, all this hope and change nonsense.... There's no question that we're seeing a continuation [of the harm to], and even in some instances a worsening of our republic under this administration. The Obama Administration has contended that no documents stamped as secret by a government agent should ever be allowed into evidence by our courts. That even goes beyond what the Bush Administration did.”
Anderson has emphasized the discrepancy between Obama’s position as a candidate for the 2008 presidency, and the actions he has actually undertaken as President, stating that “President Obama has betrayed us in almost every single way from being a candidate to being the President of the United States.” Anderson has pointed to Obama’s failure to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, refusing to prosecute what Anderson deems to be the “war criminals” of the Bush administration, continuing renditions, violating the War Power Clause of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution by committing military troops to Libya without congressional authorization, and continuing, and even expanding, the occupation in Afghanistan. Anderson has stated that Obama is “the least deserving recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize.” Concerning Obama's betrayal of the rule of law, Anderson has commented as follows:
- "The complacency that has allowed wars of aggression, wars of choice, we weren't forced into them, they were totally illegal wars under international law, the kinds of war crimes that took place, with people just saying, even our current president, 'Oh, let's put that behind us. Let's not call people to account. Let's not enforce our laws… “If these people had robbed the gold buillon out of a government safe, would we just say, ‘Let bygones be bygones; forget the rule of law?"
Anderson has pointedly criticized Obama for violating the Convention Against Torture, to which the US is a signatory, since every signatory to the convention is required to prosecute or extradite for prosecution those responsible for torture, something Obama refuses to do. Anderson has pointed out that, when the U.S. Senate ratified the Convention Against Torture, President Ronald Reagan stressed that the Convention requires prosecution or extradition of anyone responsible for torture.
Anderson has stated that despite his earlier belief that the Bush Administration would be merely an “aberration” in the history of the US, “President Obama has institutionalized some of the worst abuses of the Bush Administration.”
Controversies
State Senator Chris ButtarsChris Buttars
D. Chris Buttars is a former Republican member of the Utah State Senate representing the 10th Utah Senate District...
of West Jordan publicly denounced former Mayor Rocky Anderson for having "attracted the entire gay community to come and live in Salt Lake County" after a Dan Jones poll indicated strong support for allowing domestic partnerships. In the 2004 election, 63% of the city population voted against banning same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, in agreement with Mayor Anderson.
In 2000, Anderson asked the Salt Lake City Police Department to end its participation in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as DARE, is an international education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. D.A.R.E., which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983, is a demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S....
(DARE) program. He told DARE officials: "I think your organization has been an absolute fraud on the people of this country... For you to continue taking precious drug-prevention dollars when we have such a serious and, in some instances, growing addiction problem is unconscionable."
Critics charged Anderson with being insufficiently opposed to teen drug use and with failing to propose any alternatives. In fact, Anderson introduced the ATLAS Program to the Salt Lake City School Board, which voted to implement the program. Anderson also created the Mayor’s Coalition on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, and has advocated for the implementation of proven drug prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction programs. In 2005, the Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs"...
presented him with its Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award.
In August 2005, Anderson violated Salt Lake City policy when he used $633.74 in public funds to purchase meals and alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s on two occasions for musicians who performed at the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival and for visiting mayors from throughout the country. A local newspaper published four consecutive front-page articles to the story, and portrayed the purchases as "bar tabs."
When interviewed in September 2005 by the Deseret Morning News, Anderson stated that he disagreed with the policy, that providing hospitality to out-of-town visitors is an important mayoral function, and that exceptions to the policy had been made previously. The policy was subsequently changed to allow appropriate purchases of food and alcohol when entertaining out-of-town guests. Mayor Anderson reimbursed the City with his private funds for expenditures incurred while entertaining visiting mayors.
The Deseret Morning News soon created more controversy with its coverage of an interview Anderson gave to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Leading with the headline, “LDS Church Not Taliban, Rocky says,” the paper implied that Anderson had compared life in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to life under the Taliban. Anderson emphasized that the comment, intended to be light-hearted, was not directed toward the state or its residents, nor toward The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rather, he said, the comment was directed toward local media, particularly the Deseret Morning News, who had originally characterized his alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and food purchases at a local restaurant as "bar tabs," and which had run articles about the fact that a Salt Lake City Reads Together book selection contained profanity. Jeremiads soon appeared on the editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
pages of the Deseret Morning News and other Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
newspapers. Anderson singled out the Deseret Morning News and other media outlets for deceptive, biased reporting in a statement about the publication and in a speech on media ethics to an annual banquet of the Daily Utah Chronicle.
In October 2005, local politicians accused Anderson of improper spending of public money. This time the issue was travel to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
related to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Anderson responded that the trip to Turin was to continue the longstanding Olympic tradition of delivering the Olympic message and did not cost Utah taxpayers any money. The Salt Lake City District Attorney cleared Anderson of any wrongdoing in the case.
On June 12, 2007, following a meeting in a City Council workroom, Anderson was involved in a physical and verbal confrontation with downtown real-estate developer Dell Loy Hansen. After challenging Anderson to speak to him, Hansen reportedly knocked Anderson off-balance. Anderson responded by threatening to "kick [Hansen's] ass." On June 18, a spokesman for Anderson indicated that the possibility of legal action against Hansen was being explored. It has since been determined that no charges will be filed.
On August 11, 2011, major news media in Utah reported that Anderson had denounced the Democratic Party and resigned his membership with it. Anderson wrote in his letter to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. They play a critical role in recruiting candidates, raising funds, and organizing races in districts that are expected to yield...
that "Until the Democratic Party shows some spine and draws a line in the sand -- that an end to the tax breaks for the wealthy needs to be part of any debt/budget bill -- please take my name off your list." He added that "I'm done with the Democratic Party. As I said on Amy Goodman's
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
show a couple years ago, I've put my 'Proud Democrat' coffee mug in storage. I think now I'll just throw it in the garbage and have done with it" and that "The Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
has been eviscerated while Democrats have stood by with nary a whimper. It is a gutless, unprincipled party, bought and paid for by the same interests that buy and pay for the Republican Party."